The Connection Between Us
by Zenamydog
Summary: After an away mission goes bad Michael goes missing. Spock refuses to believe she is gone and it's only the connection between them that can save her. Warning: Please be aware the pairing in this is Michael/Spock


THE CONNECTION BETWEEN US.

After an away mission goes bad Michael goes missing. Spock refuses to believe she is gone and it's only the connection between them that can save her.

Spock wasn't a man full of emotion, anyone who knew him, knew that. He did everything he could to cater to his Vulcan half. Right now, though he was neither Vulcan nor human. Right now he was incapable of emotion. He was numb. Logic told him that this was a defence mechanism. His brain, his body, they were all operating on auto pilot. Get through the day. Get through the hour. Just get through the moment.

They had been searching for her for three days now, but there was no sign. Nothing, and that in itself told the tale that this was not as it seemed. An away mission to bring back soil samples. It was somehow electro-magnetised in a way that was unusual and Discovery was sent to retrieve the soil for examination. How simple could that be? Grab a few vials of dirt and that was it. Two hours away, most likely less, except now it had been 3 days and... Spock sat in his quarters and meditated. It was the only thing he could think to do. He could not concentrate and Captain Pike had insisted he rest. He hadn't been able to sleep since the whole thing started.

He was there when the shuttle returned. He needed to see her, the moment she disembarked. He needed to apologise for the cruel and unjust things he'd said to her. Spock sighed and tried hard to refocus on his breathing, but he just kept coming back to one inescapable truth and his mind would not let him push it aside. She had only volunteered because of him.

This relationship, these... feeling, they were all so new and unfamiliar to him. They caused instability in his logic and they caused him to antagonise the woman he loved over and over again. It wasn't the first fight they'd had in the 3 months they'd been together. He had no understanding whatsoever as to why he found it necessary to push her away like he did, except he was grateful and always relieved when she would push back.

Three crewmen left that morning, Michael and 2 others. The shuttle was gone for 1.46 hours. It was on the surface for 49 minutes and had returned on autopilot. Unusual but not unheard of. Ensign Kelly and Lieutenant Scribe where onboard when it docked, but they were also deceased. Michael, however, was not on board and... and... she was NOT deceased.

Spock's eyes flung open as the memory and the thoughts once again whirled around in his mind. Captain Pike had gone to red alert and all precautions were taken as a systematic search took place. Sensors found no heat signature and 4 separate ground searches could not find any trace of his sister. Spock huffed humorously. Sister? They were not blood related and for that he was grateful. They had gone well beyond sibling love. They were lovers and while he wasn't ashamed as such, he was the one that insisted on keeping their relationship a secret.

The autopsies of Ensign Kelly and Lieutenant Scribe came back quickly and found traces of Compound 1080 in their lungs. Logically impossible, because the asteroid was known for 1080 and all three wore space suits. They could not have breathed in the deadly chemical without removing their helmets. Why would they have removed their helmets? It was the 64 thousand dollar question. The million dollar question was... Where was Michael Burnham?

Spock stood up from his cross-legged position when the sensor light on his door lit up.

"Spock, it's Captain Pike. May I come in?"

Spock walked to the door and waved a hand over the sensor. He had forgotten he'd locked it hours earlier. He didn't know what he would be doing these past hours, maybe smash a table or throw a few chairs? Yell obscenities at the universe, scream or maybe even cry? He just knew he didn't want to be interrupted without warning.

"Come in, Captain." Spock indicated with his hand. His voice was low and calm in tone on purpose. He'd been expecting the conversation, if not the details, that was about to take place and he knew he needed to keep his balance.

"Spock..." Captain Pike stared at him with worried eyes. "We've got orders to head over to the Delta quadrant. There seems to be some sort of unusual wormhole activity. Apparently it's magnetic pull has sucked in both a Klingon Bird of Prey and Gottlen Starship."

Spock frowned. "They would have had to have been less than 100 light years for that to happen."

"Well that's just it, Spock. Both are insisting there ships kept their distance and were at least 600 light years away."

Spock nodded. "I see."

Pike drew in a breath. "We'll be leaving shortly."

Spock nodded again, but didn't say a word.

"Spock." Pike's brow furrowed and for the first time Spock noticed how drawn he looked. "I don't know what happened down there on that asteroid. We will get to the bottom of it. I am not going to lose my crew members and then just walk away. You have my word on that. I know there's hope Michael is still alive and I want more than anything to believe she is, but, Spock..." His voice cracked slightly. "...we may need to accept that-,"

"No!" came out more sharply than Spock had wanted. "She is alive, Captain. I don't think... I don't believe she is still on that asteroid, but... I know... She is still alive."

Pike looked at him and his eyes softened. "How can you be so sure?"

Spock stayed silent for a moment. He had to analyse what he was about to say. He didn't want it to sound foolish or illogical, but it was and there was no way around it. "I... I would feel it if she were gone."

Pike nodded and gave him a wry smile, before he slapped him on the shoulder. "Well that's enough for me. I will keep every possible resource on it. If she's out there. Wherever there is. We'll find her."

"Thank you, Captain."

When Pike left, Spock locked the door again. This time he did pick up a chair and smash it into the table. The build up of anger, frustration and sorrow needed an outlet. It was like looking for a needle in a hay stack. She could be anywhere in the universe... anywhere. Spock let out a shuttering breath. It didn't matter though, because he would spend every spare minute of every day for the rest of his life, searching every square inch of the entire galaxy for her. He would not... he could not lose her, not now.

"Hang on, Michael," he whispered out loud. "Wherever you are... I will find you. Please... just hang on."

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The next 24 days were a nightmare, both figuratively and literally. He barely slept, but when he did he would dream of her. Her death was never the same. Gun, fall, knife, explosion. There seemed to be no end to what his subconscious could invent in his dreams. He would almost save her, but they all ended in the same way. Michael's lifeless body in his arms. It was on day 25 that Tilly called him to medical lab four and told him what she'd found.

"So... the 1080 gas. The stuff we found in Ensign Kelly's and Lieutenant Scribe's lungs." She looked at him for understanding.

"What about it, Tilly?"

"It's, well, it is, but it's not, not really. It's not a gas. It's a by-product and there's O2 quashed in its mass, so, while it's not, it would be easy to think to was, especially with only tri-corder analytics and it might explain why they would take off of their helmets if they did think it was oxygen. Except it's not but it looks like it." She looked up at him wide eyed. "This doesn't show with normal scans. I had to break down the particles bit by bit."

Spock nodded. It was definitely a step forward in discovering the reason the crew would knowingly remove their helmets. He admired this woman, because she too had spent time and effort in trying to figure out what had happened to Michael. It's not that Captain Pike had forgotten, they'd returned to the asteroid on 2 occasions and there had been a fleet wide alert and ongoing search, but Tilly always went above and beyond. She was Michael's friend, and someone she trusted. One of only 3 people who knew the truth about his and Michael's relationship. Him and Michael being the other 2. It was excellent information, but Spock found himself disappointed that there wasn't more. "Thank you, Tilly. I do appreciate your diligence and keeping me informed." Tilly grabbed him by the arm when he started to walk away.

"No wait," she said and withdrew her hand away awkwardly. "Sodium monofluoroacetate or 1080 as it is better known, isn't native to that asteroid. I mean, not that it was ever 'native' to any planet, but this particular strain isn't found there."

Spock sucked in a breath. A spark of something filling his lungs. "Which means it was imported?"

Tilly smiled. "Exactly." She moved to a console and hit a few buttons. "I've done some checking and I can only find reference to it in the C4 and C5 section of the Gamma quadrant." A map of the quadrant appeared on the screen and 2 red sections lit up. "It was an experiment about 50 years ago, but it didn't work, so there's not much information."

Spock could feel his heart beating faster. "What do you mean, experiment?"

"The gas was developed as a way to crank iodise ..." Tilly pursed her lips as if she didn't quite know how to explain. "So basically the theory was if you place this by-product of 1080 on an asteroid or a moon that already has the 1080, it will suck in the toxic particles, reformulate them and spit it back out as oxygen. It was supposed to create breathable atmospheres in places where there previously wasn't any."

"Effectively creating class M planets."

Tilly smiled and nodded. "Yes. It didn't work 50 years ago, but it's clear someone else is trying it again."

"Have you explained any of this to Captain Pike?"

"No, not yet. I wanted to tell you first."

Spock reached out and squeezed Tilly on the shoulder. He was beyond grateful. This really was a breakthrough. "You're an amazing scientist, Tilly."

"Yes, Sir..." Her eyes widened a little. "I mean, thank you, Sir."

Spock headed back to his quarters and suddenly his pace quickened. It wasn't like the few minutes between walking and running was going to make a difference, but now they had a direction, a place to start looking. Something was rising in his chest that he couldn't control. A feeling, an anticipation that was taking over his body, his mind, his thoughts. A sense that maybe...

It was called hope.

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Michael sat in the corner of the cave like dwelling, knees to her chest, and hands around her knees. Her captors had taken blood, skin and hair samples and yet she still hadn't been able to identify their race. Whenever they would come for her an orange gas would disperse and she would fall into a semi-unconsciousness state and her vision would blur for several hours. She tried to keep count of how long she had been there, but with the artificial lighting it was impossible to tell night from day. Her best guess was 20 plus days. She had no idea what they wanted or needed from her, but they did bring her food and water that would materialise on the table in the centre of the room. At first she screamed and cursed, yelled questions and threats of retribution for hours, but now... now she was just too tired.

She knew that Discovery would be looking for her and the others and she wondered if Ensign Kelly and Lieutenant Scribe were in prisons like hers. She barely remembered anything, except the three of them closing the shuttle door and setting an autopilot course back to the ship. Everything before hand was a blur and her only memory afterwards was waking up in the room she was now. If you could call it a room. The walls were a mixture of brick and mud, odd and uneven which would suggest a primitive race, except she knew they had transporter ability, because of the food. There was a chair a table and a tent stretcher in the room. The temperature was around 25C at all times. She got the sense they, whoever they were, didn't intentionally mean her harm. There was no questioning or torture, it wasn't federation information they were after. It seemed they just wanted to know her physical makeup. But why?

Michael stood up and moved to the bed to lie down. She needed to sleep, even though she didn't want to. When she slept she dreamt and she would almost always wake up crying. She could only ever remember snippets, but always around being with Spock in one way or another. Sometimes good and loving and sometimes intense or hateful, like the fight they'd had before she left. Either way, it was painful.

She took solace in the knowledge that Discovery would be searching for them, if indeed they still believed they were still alive. Spock would believe, she knew that with certainty. Spock wouldn't stop looking for her... for them. Spock... she thought wistfully. It was like she could hear him and could swear he was telling her to hang on. She missed him so much and could only pray the dreams she were about to have would good ones. "Please, Spock," she spoke out loud for the first time. "I'm here and I'm alive. Come find me."

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Spock sat in front of his personal screen. He was again researching 1080. While there was little about the compound's testing 50 years ago, it was in fact centuries old. It had been originally developed to cull animals that had become over populated and a burden on Earth's eco system. Spock shook his head in disgust and sighed as he viewed the images of the devastation it had caused. If only Earth's 20th century had known their reckless endangerment of the planet and its life would lead to the extinction of many men and beasts alike. The compound had been spread across the universe by various means, mostly due to old military trying to weaponize it and it had wrecked havoc on many planets. There were still traces on asteroids and moons, it tended to only 'survive' for long periods of time in places with little or no oxygen. The 1080 'experiment' as they called it, was resurrected 50 years ago by a scientist, Dr Phillip Dander. He wanted to find a way to use the compound to destroy itself and at the same time, create breathable atmospheres. Earth would have no part of his radical ideas, noble in its intent as it may have been, so he took it off world to a planet by the name of Ruckus 5, in the Gamma quadrant. Ruckus 5 was advanced in technology, but over populated and poor in resources, especially after their 10 year long civil war. According to the records, they'd had plans of building new homes on the planets they could regenerate. Smart really, free and easy for the taking as no one else had staked a claim. They were on their way to Ruckus 5 now. It was believed that Dr Dander was still alive and if he was, Spock needed badly to talk to him.

"Spock," Saru's voice came over the com. "The Captain wanted me to inform you that we are pulling into orbit around Ruckus 5."

"Thank you, Commander. I'll be right there."

Spock reached up to close his personal files and stopped suddenly, hand mid movement. It was like something out of the corner of his eye, it was fleeting, a mere nanosecond, but he saw... no, maybe heard... letters in his head. He couldn't be sure if he saw or heard them, but he pressed his finger to the screen and wrote. 'Come find me.'

"Michael," Spock whispered and felt a sudden pain in his chest like a heart attack. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Logic said this was his subconscious playing tricks. His desire to find Michael creating illusions in his brain. Spock stared at the words for a long moment. But no... Logic wasn't going to win this battle. Michael was out there and willing him to find her. He didn't know how, but he knew this was no trick of his mind.

"I'm coming, Michael. Just a little longer. I'm coming."

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Captain Pike insisted on accompanying Spock to the planet. He used the pretence of needing to know what had happened to his crew. That was true, of course it was, but mainly he was worried about Spock. After the events at Crester, Spock had become particularly protective of Michael, almost to a point of obsession. His actions disturbed him, even though they were completely understandable. A man had raped his sister and in return Spock had killed him. If they were to find Michael and she was not 'okay' he was probably only one of two, Michael being the other, who could pull Spock back from the edge.

They beamed down into a crowded alleyway, in what looked like a market place. People and aliens alike were walking around, looking at street stalls, buying, selling and bartering. They'd beamed in and no one had blinked an eye. Pike had called in a couple of favours and it didn't take long to know Dr Dander's general whereabouts. Now, though, they would need to ask questions and narrow the search down further.

"Hello?" A young boy, maybe 12 or 13 approached them. "Are you Christopher Pike?"

Pike narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected anyone to know they were coming. "I am," he said, tone full of suspicion. "And you are?"

"Follow me," the boy said and suddenly took off running.

He looked at Spock, who looked as confused has he did. He shrugged and then they both took off after him. The boy stopped running about a mile east of where they'd been. It was the edge of the town and led into what looked like a forest, full of dirt pathways and scrub. Pike couldn't help but notice he was panting hard and Spock wasn't. He really did need to use the fitness program on the holodeck more often.

The boy smiled up at them and pointed to one of the pathways. "There," he said. "There is a cabin about 2 miles in."

"I'm sorry," Pike said. "But who are you?"

"My name is Ethan Dander. Dr Dander is my grandfather."

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Dr Dander knew we were coming?"

"Ah huh," Ethan replied with a nod of his head, like it wasn't something unusual. "He asked me to skip school for a bit and point you in the right direction."

"I see," Pike said. "And he knew exactly where and what time we'd beam in?"

Ethan gave him a strange look, like Pike was asking a silly question. "Anyhow, I've got to get back or my teacher will know I've gone. See ya." With that he ran in the opposite direction and he and Spock were left standing there.

"What do you think?" Pike asked.

"I think that we have no choice but to follow this path and see where it takes us."

The path was narrow between trees, bushes and rocks. Spock led the way and kept a blistering pace. He was obviously eager to see this Dr Dander. Pike could only hope that he had the information Spock needed to hear. What that could be, he had no idea, but Spock was clearly on edge.

They travelled almost exactly 2 miles before the path opened up into a clearing and Pike's eyes widened. "Ethan did say a cabin, didn't he?"

"I believe so," Spock replied, stopping only for a moment.

What they were heading towards wasn't what he expected. This wasn't pinewood logs stuck together with mortar. This was huge, more like a mansion, complete with flower beds and a white picket fence.

"I'm getting an uneasy feeling about this," Pike said as he fell into step beside Spock.

Spock said nothing, just kept walking the 100 feet or so it took to reach the door. He rang the door bell and it chimed a tune. It was familiar, but Pike couldn't quite pick it. "What is that?"

"Yankee Doodle Dandy."

Pike grinned, shook his head and looked at Spock disbelievingly. "You never cease to amaze me, Spock."

They heard footsteps and Pike straightened his stance. "How old is Dr Dander now?"

"If his birth records are correct, he is 86."

The door opened and a man no taller than 5 feet, white hair and white beard, stood there grinning. "87 actually. I had a birthday last week."

"Hello," Spock said. "I'm Spock and this is Captain-,"

"Oh, I know who you are." He waved a hand dismissively and turned sideways. "Come in, come in." He closed the door behind them and beckoned for them to follow him into the living area. "I've been looking forward to your visit. Don't get many visitors any more. Get's rather boring." He jutted his chin as an invitation for them to sit down. "Would you like something to drink? I can get Mavis to make you some tea?"

"No," Spock said a little too sharply. "Thank you," he added a second latter.

Pike declined with a head shake. "I'm sorry Dr Dander, we're in kind of a hurry and we just need to ask you a few questions."

"Okay," Dr Dander said with a smile. "But only if you call me Phillip."

Pike smiled politely. "Okay, ahh, Phillip. We want to know about Compound 1080."

Phillip's smile slipped from his lips and he nodded. "I thought as much. Wasn't sure, but I thought it might be that."

"We have reason to believe that your experiments of 50 years ago have been resumed," Pike said.

Phillip frowned. "That's not possible. It was all closed down, besides... All my notes, my research, it all got destroyed. All the samples were burned too. Even if they weren't, it doesn't matter. The experiment was a complete frailer."

"Yes," Spock chimed in, looking at Pike as if to explain. "I understand your lab was destroyed in Ruckus 5's civil war, but it wasn't all destroyed. It couldn't have been. Some of it was found on an asteroid in the Beta quadrant."

"I don't know how," Phillip said wide eyed. "I mean... 1080 is on a lot of asteroids and the like. It doesn't mean-,"

"Yes it does," Spock said sharply. "This was your by-product. Not just the ordinary gas. There was oxygen in its particles. It killed two of our crew and-,"

"Spock!" Pike cut him off because of his tone.

Phillip furrowed his brow. "And what, young man?" He gave Pike a look to let Spock continue.

"And my sister is missing. She went missing from the asteroid that killed the other 2 crew members."

Phillip grinned sadly and looked at Spock in a way Pike couldn't quite understand. "Sister?" Phillip continued to stare at Spock for a long moment. "That's definitely not the vibe I get, but..." He gave Spock a weak smile. "I guess I've been wrong before."

Pike looked over at Spock, unsure of what Phillip was saying, but whatever it was, Spock definitely understood.

"How did you know who we were and that we were coming?" Pike changed tactics.

For the first time, Phillip recoiled ever so slightly. His features hardened and he sat a little straighter. "Well, Captain... Let me just say... You have your contacts and I have mine."

"You're lying," Spock spat.

"That's enough, Spock." Pike looked at Spock quickly, his eyes conveying his wish for Spock to... shut the hell up. "I'm sorry Dr... Phillip. Lieutenant Spock is just upset. We were hoping you knew something... anything that would lead us in the right direction and help us find Commander Burnham."

"That's okay," Phillip said with a slow nod of his head. A look of resolve on his face. "The fact is your Lieutenant is right. While I do have my contacts inside of Starfleet, it's not how I knew you were coming."

Pike said nothing and just waited for him to continue.

"I'm an empath... I... I see things, know things... hear..." He looked at Spock. "... things. "I can't tell you why... I wasn't always like this, but... I do believe it has something to do with my exposure to 1080. It told me someone was coming and I suspected why but..." He looked back at Pike. "It was my source that told me exactly who you were."

Pike narrowed his eyes. "If you've had exposure, then how did you survive?"

"Good question," Phillip said with a nod. "I suspect because I was around it, I touched it, but I never inhaled it. To inhale it was..." Phillip hesitated and averted his eyes. "Certain death."

There was a beat of silence and Pike half expected Spock to pipe up with how illogical the scenario was, instead...

"Does your... insight, give you any idea where to start looking?" Spock's voice was now quiet on the edge of pleading.

Phillip shook his head. "Not really," he said sadly. "I can tell you though, Michael is alive." He looked directly at Spock. "But you already knew that, didn't you Lieutenant?"

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Spock turned to Pike the moment the door closed behind them. "Captain, we did not mention Michael's first name."

Pike nodded. "I know." He hit his comm. button. "Discovery... Two to beam up."

"Wait!" A woman, long dark hair, in her late 50's called out from the side of the house beckoning them to her with her hand. She was wearing an apron, making her look like the hired help.

Pike hit his comm. again. "Discovery delay that order." They both walked over to her and you didn't need to be an empath to see she was nervous.

"My name is Mavis. I'm Dr Dander's... maid, nurse, companion... a bit of everything really." She smiled wryly. "He's telling you the truth. He... he doesn't know anything, but..."

"But?" Spock felt a small sense that maybe the trip hadn't been for nought after all.

"This house and the land around it," she said looking around. "Dr Dander's son Carlton paid for it all."

"I don't understand," Pike said. "What has that got to do with it?"

"He's a... was a miner. About 5 years ago he came home one day and said he'd hit it rich, but..."

"But you don't believe that?" Spock probed.

"All I know is that he was mining Crystallite and even a big find couldn't make you as rich as he is. About the same time, I was cleaning his room and I found..." She frowned as if trying to find the words. "Schematics and drawings and..." she looked up at them both earnestly. "An old journal of Dr Dander's. I didn't really think much of it... okay, that's not quite true, I did, but I didn't say anything. Dr Dander is a good man and Carlton loves him. He deserves all of this." She waved a hand towards the house and lowered her eyes. "I peaked in the journal. It was about 1080."

"So something did survive the fire," Pike said and looked at Spock.

"Mavis?" Spock's tone was gentle. "If Dr Dander's is an empath, then how did he not know about any of this, or at least suspect?"

Mavis shrugged. "I can't be sure... but my guess is because Carlton is an empath too."

Spock and Pike looked at each other again and It was like an 'ah ha' moment for both men.

"There's something else, you should know." Tears started to make Mavis' eyes look glassy. "Something Dr Dander did know. Not all the people who breathed in 1080 died. According to the journal about 2% survived." A tear spilled over. "The other scientists... they... they tried to figure out why. Dr Dander shut it down when he found out what they were doing to the survivors. He was even grateful that the fires and bombs took everything. He didn't mean for anything like that to happen," she started to sob.

"It's okay, Mavis." Pike reached out a comforting hand and laid it on her shoulder. "We really appreciate you telling us this."

"I agree," Spock said, eyes unusually filled with empathy. "Thank you, Mavis."

Pike hit his Comm. "Pike to Discovery. Beam us up."

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"_Just a little longer. I'm coming, Michael. Just a little longer. I'm coming" _Michael's eyes flung open and she sprung to a sitting position. There were thick wet tears rolling down her face. It was the same dream she'd had the night before. Or at least the last time she had slept. She wanted so desperately to believe it was all true. Spock was coming for her, but as the days past it was getting hard, hard to believe these thoughts, dreams, visions... whatever they were... were real. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and combed her fingers through her hair. It was longer in length and stuck out. It was why she always kept it so short. She glanced at the table, but the food and water hadn't appeared yet. It was how she kept time. One meal, assumedly in the middle of the day.

Michael laid back down on the bed and clasped her fingers behind her head, staring at the ceiling. She still had no idea who her captors were, no idea what planet she was on and still even less clues to their motives. More 'tests' had been run, she was sure of that, but what they were she couldn't say. Her musings stopped suddenly, when for the first time since she'd been there, she heard voices coming from outside of the door.

She stood up when she heard the door click open and three men entered the room.

"Hello, Michael," the tall man with short brown hair said.

She looked between the three of them and if she was reading it right, the other two were this man's soldiers. "Who are you and why am I a prisoner here and how do you know my name?"

The man smiled. "My name doesn't matter. More of a... unwitting volunteer than a prisoner and... I know your name because I used your DNA to search your records." His smile turned into a grin. "And what a colourful record you have."

Michael took a step back, but stood straighter. "Volunteer my ass... and if you know who I am then you know you've kidnapped a Starfleet Commander. All of Starfleet will be looking for me."

"Oh they are... or were. You're still an alert, but... the search has died down some. The only ship actively looking for you is Discovery and of course your lover... Spock, is it?"

Michael couldn't stop the small gasp she let out, but she took a step forward in defiance. "Spock will find me, because he's never going to stop looking and when he does, I wouldn't want to be you."

The man narrowed his eyes and for the first time there was the smallest hint of belief. "We are treating you well, Michael. It could be a lot worse."

"Are you kidding me? What exactly do you want from me?"

"We need to understand your genealogical and biological makeup."

"Well that would explain the tests," she said, attitude returning to her tone. "But why? Why me?"

"You're special, Michael. You survived when many others didn't."

"Survived? Survived what?" She had a sudden thought and kicked herself from not asking sooner. "Are Ensign Kelly and Lieutenant Scribe here too?"

The man lowered his eyes for a second and then looked back up. "No... we did not bring them back here."

"So they made it back to Discovery then?"

The man huffed out a breath. "Enough chatter. We need you to come with us."

"Why?" she asked, suddenly a little afraid. "Why not just drug me like you've been doing?"

He motioned to the men behind him and they moved forward either side of Michael to grab an arm each. "Because sleeping brain and awake brain don't give off the same readings. Unfortunately... you need to be fully conscious for this test."

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"Spock?" Captain Pike said as he entered the room. "It's been 2 days, but Tilly tells me you've finally found something."

Spock looked up from his screen a hint of guilt for taking so long washing over him. "It's more of what I haven't found."

"What do you mean?"

"I've checked Ruckus 5's records for the past 5 years. They're antiquated and I had to search manually. Any big mineral find has to be claimed and recorded."

"Let me guess. Carlton didn't register any find?"

"Correct, Captain."

"Then where did he get all of that money?"

"A large amount, equivalent to approximately 1 billion Earth dollars was wired to him about 5 years ago."

"Wired? That's old fashioned. From who?"

"Of that, I am uncertain. As you said, old fashioned. I was able to find the wire transfer, however... its origin... I am trying to find a loophole in the banking protocols, but as yet I have found none."

The side of Pike's mouth lifted in a half smile. "You're trying to hack into a bank?"

"I am trying to find, Michael," he said without blinking.

"But hacking into a bank may not be the way to go, Spock. If they find out and trace it to Starfleet, it could end up being a huge diplomatic problem."

Spock nodded. He did understand. Something like this, less than this, had caused bad blood and even wars in the past. "Then we need to go back down to find Dr Dander's son Carlton. He clearly has something to do with this."

"I agree," Pike said placing a hand on Spock's shoulder. "But I think you're on the right track, following the money first. We need evidence before making accusations. Let's see if we can do this the right way, shall we?" He gave Spock a wink. "I'll see if I can get an injunction to have the bank turn over its records."

Spock stood up from the chair and grabbed hold of the desk almost immediately. He felt dizzy, off balance and... "Captain, something is wrong." His hand went to his head instinctively and then he doubled over, a searing pain in his temple. "It's... it's Michael. They're doing something to Michael."

Pike guided him back down into the chair and crouched in front of him. "What do you mean, doing something?"

Spock's breathing was laboured, coming out in short huffs. "Ahhhhhhhhhhh, he cried out, aware the screams weren't really his own. Tears welled unabated in his eyes. "They're hurting her... She's calling out, she's screaming my name." He started to gasp for air. "She can't breathe."

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Pike grabbed Spock by the arms. "Lieutenant Detmer," he said urgently. "Beam Spock and myself directly to sickbay."

"Yes, Sir," came the instant reply.

A light and then Dr Culber was grabbing Spock from Pike before he fell, manhandling him onto the table. "What happened?"

Pike shook his head. "I don't know. He says it's Michael. He can feel her being tortured somehow."

"What?" Dr Culber multitasked, asking questions while scanning with a medical tri-corder. "How is that possible?"

Spock was holding both sides of his head. His face was contorted in pain. He was arching his whole body and calling out Michael's name over and over again.

Pike moved to stand beside Spock while Dr Culber filled a syringe. "His heartbeat is off the charts. I'm going to have to sedate him."

"No!" Spock said, gasping, begging Pike with his eyes. "No sedation."

Dr Culber looked at the tri-corder beside him and then back at Pike. "His blood pressure is rising as well."

Pike leaned over his friend, forcing Spock to keep eye contact. "Can you see anything, Spock? Anything at all? Something that might give us a clue as to what's happening? Where she is?"

Spock clenched his fists until all of his knuckles turned white. He stopped arching, but his face was still contorted. He closed his eyes. "A white light, a... a beam of white light." His eyes flung open. "She's a survivor. They're experimenting on her, Chris." Spock gasped and then suddenly...

"He's seizing," Hugh said rolling into action and then suddenly a nurse, he hadn't even noticed, was in front of him, pushing him out of the way.

"Get me an A21 shot," he said and then Nurse Geller was handing it to him.

Pike frowned deeply. Spock never called him Chris. Oh my god, he thought as he stood back and watched them work on Spock. If this was what was happening to Michael, then... he sucked in a breath and held it, only breathing out a few seconds later when Spock stopped convulsing and stilled completely.

Hugh looked over at him as he was placing an electrode on Spock's forehead. "He's okay, Captain. His heart rate is dropping back to normal. He's going to be fine."

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Pike spent the next hour in his ready room calling in every favour he'd ever been owed. He needed access to that bank account one way or another. They needed to know where Carlton got all that money from. Somehow, he knew that the money trail was the key. If they could figure out who was funding Phillip's son, then they could go after him. He wasn't sure how, but it was connected.

"Finally," Pike said when his direct line to Starfleet command beeped. "Hello?" he opened the line and suddenly there was a hologram of Admiral Keaton in front of him.

"Hello, Chris." His face looked stern. "What's this I hear about you needing some bank on Ruckus 5 to give you access to their records?"

"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry Admiral to bother Starfleet with this, but..." Pike stopped mid sentence. Protocol and official channels wasn't going to work here. He needed him to know how personal this was. "David," he said as he took a step forward, eyes pleading. "This is about Michael Burnham. We believe there's a money trail that could lead us to her."

"What sort of money trail?"

"Someone has financed a billion dollars to the son of Dr Phillip Dander. The man who was responsible for the 1080 experiments." Pike expected David to ask what that was, but instead his face changed and his jaw tightened.

"I see." He didn't argue or ask questions and that made Pike all kinds of suspicious.

"We're running out of time, David. We have reason to believe Commander Burnham is being experimented on."

The Admiral's face paled and he nodded. "I'll have the code for the information you need in the next few minutes. I hope your Commander can be found and is okay."

"So do I," Pike started to say, but then the connection was gone. "What? No goodbye?" He stood and left the ready room to head for sickbay. He needed to tell Spock there was light at the end of the tunnel.

"Captain Pike to Dr Culber," he said as he went up the 3 decks needed. "Is our patient awake yet?"

"Ahh... yes, Sir. I believe he is."

Pike grinned. "What? You don't know?"

"I just got back, Captain. He's not here. Nurse Geller said he just walked out."

"Captain Pike, Sir," another voice came over the comm. "This is Ensign Richards. I'm in the transporter room. Lieutenant Spock was just here. He... well I don't know what he did. Pinched my neck. I just woke up. Sir, he's beamed down to the planet."

Pike hit the stop button hard on the lift, both because he needed to, but also out of anger. "Damn it, Spock!" He sucked in a breath. "Ensign Richards. Get a lock on the Lieutenant and beam him back aboard."

"I'm sorry, Sir, I can't. He's removed his com. I won't be able to locate him."

Pike scowled as he walked onto the Bridge. Eyes narrowed in resentment.

"Captain on the Bridge," Saru said and everyone stood up.

"Back to your stations," Pike said irritably. He looked over. "Saru, Tilly, you're with me."

"Oh," Tilly looked confused. "Where are we going?"

"Down to Ruckus 5."

"May I ask why," Saru said.

"To search for Spock."

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Spock knew that the Captain wouldn't be far behind him, so he knew he needed to hurry. He had beamed down this time, right outside of Dr Dander's 'cabin'. He rang the doorbell and waited. He needed to remember that Dr Dander was an old man and it could take him a minute or two to get to the door, but he was impatient and rang it again.

Ethan opened the door and looked up at him. His eyes were puffy and Spock knew he'd been crying.

"Hello, Ethan. My name is Spock. We met the other day."

"I remember," Ethan said. "Grandpa asked me to show you how to get here."

"That's right." Spock tried hard to keep his tone even. All he really wanted to do was push past the boy, find Dr Dander and make him tell him where his son was. "I'm here to speak to your grandfather. Is he at home?"

"He's asleep. Dr Weber came and gave him a shot."

"Is he... unwell?"

Ethan hesitated. "No... not exactly. He's upset."

"Upset? Why?"

"Aunty Mavis had an accident." Ethan sucked in a shuddering breath. "She died."

Spock felt a cold sense of dread wash over him. Somehow he already knew this was linked to her disclosure. He didn't want to interrogate the boy, but... "What sort of accident?"

"She fell and hit her head."

"How?"

Ethan's eyes widened a little at Spock's sharpness. "I don't know."

"Was she... on a ladder? Was it in the street? Did she trip over something?"

The boy's bottom lip started to quiver. "I don't know," he said louder than before. "I have to go." He started to close the door but Spock stepped forward and held it open. The boy now had fear in his eyes.

"Ethan," Spock lowered his voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. Maybe... maybe you could tell me. The person I really want to speak to is your dad. Can you tell me where I could find him?"

"He's at work. He won't be home until tomorrow."

Work? Spock needed to remain calm. His stomach was tightening. This man's work included killing and torturing people. "Can you tell me where he works? It's really important I speak with him... before tomorrow."

"On the North-West side. Big building on top of the hill." Ethan smiled. "My dad's one of the big bosses there."

"Really?" Spock forced a smile. "How far away is this?"

"Other side of the planet. There's a public transporter in town, but that's expensive. Otherwise you have to take the air bus. Takes about 20 minutes."

"Thank you, Ethan," Spock said and released his hold on the door. "I'm sorry about your Aunty."

"She wasn't really my Aunty."

Spock nodded and started to walk away.

"Oh, and Mr Spock," Ethan called out. "Can you remind my dad to bring me back some of that Colshack Ice-cream. You can't get it here."

Spock hesitated, but didn't turn back. He couldn't bring himself to answer.

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Spock sat back on the air bus. He could have taken the transporter, but he knew Discovery would be looking for him. If his signature was recognised, they could lock on and beam him back up. He closed his eyes and thought about Michael. He could almost see her and taste her lips on his. They hadn't kissed that morning, though, the last time he saw her, their fight had prevented that and then she'd volunteered for the shuttle mission. Why... he thought... Why had he gone from warm and loving to cold and cruel so quickly?

"_Spock?" Michael said as she started to pull on her boot._

_He was still in bed, sleepy from the aftermath of their lovemaking. "Where are you going?"_

"_I have work to do," she said with a smile. "We can't spend every waking moment in bed."_

"_Why not?" Spock knew he was being illogical. He always was when he was with her. The human side, the part of him that he never let free always took over when she was around. One touch and he didn't care about the dynamics of it all. The fulfilment he felt, hands down trumped everything he'd ever known._

"_Come back to bed," he said holding out a hand._

_Michael hesitated and for a moment Spock knew she was considering it. "I can't, I promised Tilly I'd help with her project. She hasn't seen a lot of me lately and..."_

"_What project?"_

"_I don't know. Something to do with capacity cycle fusion." Michael hesitated. "And... ahh... about Tilly. There's something I need to tell you."_

_Michael's face suddenly changed to serious. So much so that Spock lifted himself up on his elbow to pay attention. "What about her?"_

"_She was asking questions. I mean... I don't blame her. I've been so secretive. I'd leave in the middle of the night. I wouldn't be there when she woke up. She's my roommate." Michael shrugged. "Of course she was going to notice."_

_Spock frowned, the word 'was' echoing. "What are you saying?"_

"_I... I kind of told her about us. About you and me."_

"_You what?" Spock sat up. "We've discussed this, Michael." He suddenly felt the hot iron of anger._

"_I know," Michael said and moved forward to sit on the bed. "She's my best friend and I trust her and..." She reached to touch his hand. "We can't keep this a secret forever."_

_Spock threw back the bed covers and got out. He reached for his night robe and wrapped it around him before turning back to her. "I can't believe you would betray me like this." His voice was low and full of venom. _

"_Spock." Michael looked confused. "It's not like I've let the cat out of the bag to everyone. It's only Tilly. She was a little shocked at first, but she's fine with it."_

"_Only Tilly now... then who? Lieutenant Detmer, Captain Georgiou, Captain Pike?"_

"_Don't be so stupid," Michael retaliated, anger now in her tone._

"_I think you are the one who is stupid if you think your friends won't look at you differently for sleeping with your brother and if you think it won't affect our careers."_

_Michael's face paled and she stood up from the bed. Tears starting to fill her eyes. "So it's your career your worried about?" Michael started to walk towards the door, stopping and turning after it hissed open. "Oh, and Spock... They are 'our' friends."_

Spock shook off the memory as the bus pulled into dock. He was so sorry, but now was not the time to ponder his guilt. He'd researched a map and found the place on top of the hill he was looking for. Guyton Industries was the sign, large and bold on the outside of the building. He reached into his backpack and pulled out his tri-corder. He'd switched it off so it couldn't be traced. Now though, he needed to scan the building and that meant if they were on the ball, Discovery would locate him quickly. There were 77 people inside and the building was 7 stories high. 11 people on each story was the assumption. He'd been able to pull up a photo of Carlton Dander too, so at least he knew what he looked like. A bald man, about 6 feet. Heavy in build with blue eyes. Spock turned the tri-corder off the moment he was finished.

"Hello," he said to the woman who was sitting at the front desk. "I'm here to see Carlton Dander. I'm wondering if you could point me in the right direction?"

"Have you got an appointment, Mr ... ?"

"Spock. Lieutenant Spock from Starfleet." He stood taller and made his features look stern. "I haven't got an appointment, no, but I am certain he will want to speak to me."

The woman smiled politely and clicked her earpiece. "Hello, Stacey. Could you let Mr Dander know I have a Lieutenant Spock from Starfleet here to see him. He says he hasn't got an appointment."

There was a beat of silence and then the woman looked up at him. "May I ask what it's in relation to?"

No you may not was what he wanted to say, but changed his mind as he looked around. There was security and scanners as well as heavily armed guards. It was unlikely he would be able to make it to Carlton without being invited in. "Tell Mr Dander that I am here to discuss the 1080 experiments."

The woman didn't blink an eyelid and just repeated what he said. There was another beat of silence and then she was pulling a Key-card from the draw beside her and hitting a few buttons, before handing it to him. "He's on the sixth floor." She pointed to the elevator.

"Thank you," Spock said and headed over, looking, more like memorising the floor plan. Just in case he needed to get out quickly. He swiped the card and entered the lift. The doors closed behind him and a robotic female voice came through the speakers. "Sixth floor only." The door swished open a second later and he walked out into a huge office space. A woman was sitting behind a table, presumably Stacey.

"I'm here to see Mr Dander," he said as he approached her.

"Yes." She smiled. "He's expecting you. Go on in."

Spock opened the door to see Carlton sitting behind a silver framed desk. He was writing something and put the pen down as Spock entered.

"Hello," Carlton said and stood reaching out his hand. "I understand you want to talk to me about investing in 1080.0."

Spock didn't take the man's hand in an accustomed handshake, instead he stood feet apart, hands clasped behind his back.

"No," Spock said, heart beating fast. "I'm here to talk to you about Michael Burnham."

Carlton frowned and sat back down in his chair. "Who?"

"You lie well, Mr Dander, but I know you have her."

"Have her?" Carlton looked genuinely confused. "I have no idea of who or what you are talking about."

"You've resurrected your father's legacy with the 1080 experiments. You're trying to create breathable atmospheres on planets that are baron."

Carlton narrowed his eyes. "Yes... yes we are. When we create class M planets from old lifeless moons and the like, it's going to be an absolute game changer. No more climate refugees, no more lack of resources. Everyone in the entire universe would have a place to call home." His eyes lit up slightly. "Can you imagine a universe without poverty? Where every baren planet was brought to life, liveable, breathable planets that could sustain, and keep on sustaining for centuries and centuries to come. God knows what our forefathers have done, but when 1080.0 finally works..." Carlton smiled. "I'm sorry, I get a little bit passionate."

Spock sucked in a breath. Either this man was a wonderful actor, or... he was telling the truth. "Your experiments are killing people."

"What?" Carlton shook his head. "A few mice, maybe, but no people."

"Did you experiment on an asteroid, east side of the Beta quadrant 31 days ago?"

Carlton frowned and hit a few buttons on his screen. "No, not 31 days ago... that's been up and running for over a year. We've had some success in that area, too. We're still working on it but-,"

"Two of my crew were infected on that asteroid. They died."

Carlton's eyes widened. "I'm... I'm sorry to hear that."

"My..." Spock hesitated. "My sister was with them, she didn't die, but she's missing."

"What do you mean missing?"

"Exactly that, Mr Dander. She was exposed to the 1080, but she survived."

Carlton's face changed from confusion and he narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that... that she survived?"

Spock was starting to become frustrated. The time was ticking. "I... I just do."

"She's not your sister is she?" Carlton asked, stood up and walked around the desk. "There's a much stronger connection there."

Spock balled a hand into a fist. "How do you know that?"

"Because anyone who's worked with 1080, ends up an empath and I can feel your rage, your... pain. It's not brotherly."

"It doesn't matter what my feelings are for her. What does matter is she is being experimented on, because she survived."

"No," Carlton shook his head. "We don't do that anymore. Haven't done that since my father's time. That's why he walked away."

"It's still happening. I feel her, I hear her screams. It's still happening!"

A look of concentration crossed Carlton's face and there was some sort of recognition in his eyes. Then... he shut down. "I... I'm sorry Mr Spock. I don't know where she is. I can't help you."

Spock took a step forward and put a hand around Carlton's throat. "You have to help me. Tell me where she is or..." Spock stopped suddenly and his eyes rolled back into his head with a pain that he could just not describe. His hand dropped from Carlton's throat and he started to shake.

Carlton reached out a hand and laid it on Spock's arm, then he too started to shake.

Lights... bright white and orange lights. Glass... maybe windows... A bed, a man standing over her. A green door... Letters... unreadable... G. Maybe an L... Then a scream. Michael's scream. "Spock, help me! Spock! I can't hold on!"

The images and the pain stopped simultaneously and Carlton snatched his hand away. "It... it can't be."

Spock took in a breath. "You saw that too, didn't you?"

Carlton shook his head. "He wouldn't... He wanted us to work faster. He said five years was too long. I... I told him science takes time. I..." He looked at Spock, eyes full of sorrow and pain. "I told him no. Even if any of the survivors were still alive, there was no way. I told him no, Mr Spock. You have to believe me."

Spock tried to control his breathing. He was shaken. "I do, Carlton, but who... who wanted you to go faster?"

"My partner. Andrew Guyton. He financed the entire operation." Carlton looked away. "I don't understand. Why would he do this? He's a humanitarian. He wants the same things I do. Why would he do this?"

"Clearly he is not," Spock spat. "Did you see anything... in the vision." Spock moved forward and took hold of Carlton's arm. "Did you recognise anything. Something that could tell us where she is?"

Carlton nodded. "She's strong. She's purposely trying to contact you."

"Where is she, Carlton? We're running out of time."

"That green door." Carlton moved to his air screen and turned it on. He tapped and a map came up.  
"Here." He pointed. It's an old pharmaceutical lab. They have green doors."

Spock didn't wait, he just took off. Down the lift, out the doors, he ran. His mind could barely keep up with his leg speed. Fast... faster he pushed. It wasn't until he was outside of the abandoned building that he stopped and tried to think. If he were to rush in guns blazing... He opened his backpack, grabbed his comm. and switched it on. "This is Lieutenant Spock to Discovery. Are you there Captain?"

"Captain Pike is on the planet with Saru and Tilly, looking for you," came the response from Lieutenant Detmer.

"I've found Commander Burnham, but I need-,"

"On it," Detmer responded before he could finish. "I'm locking on to your coordinates and beaming them to you. They should be there-, 

"Lieutenant Spock?" Captain Pike called out from behind him. He looked unhappy, but Spock couldn't worry about that right now.

He pulled out his tri-corder. "There are 6 heat signatures."

"Couldn't we just beam her out?" Tilly offered.

Saru shook his head. "Oh, Ensign, don't you think we've already thought of that. She's not wearing a comm."

"Oh," Tilly said and lowered her eyes. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Tilly," Captain Pike said with a small smile. "Saru, you're with me. Spock, you and Tilly take the side entrance. Set phaser's to stun." Spock started to move away and Captain Pike grabbed him by the arm. His eyes deadly serious. "You heard that last order, didn't you, Lieutenant?"

Spock nodded. "Yes, Sir."

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Unarmed, unexpected, it didn't take long for them to take down 5 of the 6 inside. Pike was the first to find Michael. She was unconscious on the table. There were wrist restraints holding her down and Pike moved quickly to remove them. "Michael?" he said, brushing her hair back from her forehead. "It's okay, you're safe. Spock found you." He was just about to place a comm. on her and tell Discovery to beam her up, when there was a loud crash and he heard a man's voice.

Spock had the man cornered, gun in hand. "Andrew Guyton. By the power invested in me by the united federation of planets. I am placing you under arrest."

Andrew looked over to him, back to Spock and then raised his hands.

Pike breathed out slowly. He had been very concerned about another outcome. Maybe he was still. Spock hadn't seen the condition Michael was in. He walked over to Spock and took his phaser. "Michael's in there. She needs medical attention. Both of you beam up first. I'll keep an eye on him and get the others."

Spock nodded and turned, but before he could take a step he saw Michael coming out of the green door. She looked dishevelled and pale. "Michael," he breathed out.

"Spock?" Her voice was weak, but he could still hear it from across the room as she started to move towards him.

He couldn't wait, he didn't hesitate and ran to close the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around her, held her to him and had to remind himself not to squeeze to hard. The hug broke and he bought his hands to both side of her face. They stared at each other for a moment before Spock bought their lips together in a long, deep passionate kiss.

The kiss broke and Michael's eyes drifted off to their left. Spock followed her gaze to see Tilly standing there with a grin wider than he'd ever seen. Saru was just staring and Captain Pike was scratching the back of his head awkwardly, looking up and down, anywhere but at them. He sighed and looked back at Michael.

"I think the cat is well and truly out of the bag now," she said, a hint of fear in her eyes.

"I don't care," he said and he really meant it. "If they are truly our friends, then they will understand."

Michael smiled. "And our careers?"

Spock felt a stab of guilt and bought their foreheads together. "If my career falters because of what I feel for you, then so be it," he whispered. "I could live without my career." He sucked in a shaky breath. "But I cannot... I will not... live without you."

THE END.


End file.
